A process of fabricating a molecular electronic device that preserves the integrity of the active molecular layer of the electronic device during processing is described. In one aspect, a passivation layer is provided to protect a molecular layer from degradation during patterning of the top wire layer. A molecular electronic device structure and a memory system that are formed from this fabrication process are described.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A molecular electronic device, comprising: a bottom electrically conducting wire structure; an organic molecular layer disposed on the bottom wire structure in a device region and comprising a bi-stable molecular species; and a passivation structure disposed on the organic molecular layer and being electrically conducting in a region over the device region and being electrically insulating in regions surrounding the device region, wherein the electrically conducting region and the electrically conducting region are formed from a common material structure and one of the electrically insulating region and the electrically conducting region corresponds to a converted region of the common material structure.
2. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conducting region of the passivation structure corresponds to a metal layer and the electrically insulating region of the passivation structure corresponds to an oxidized region of the metal layer.
3. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating region of the passivation structure has an antifuse structure and the electrically conducting region of the passivation structure has a blown antifuse structure.
4. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a patterned top electrically conducting wire layer disposed on the passivation structure in a region over the device region.
5. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conducting region of the passivation structure corresponds to a top wire layer.
6. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the molecular layer comprises switch molecules.
7. The molecular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conducting region of the passivation structure is formed of an electrically conducting material and the electrically insulating region of the passivation structure corresponds to an oxidized region of the electrically conducting material.
8. A molecular memory system, comprising an array of molecular electronic devices, each molecular electronic device comprising: a bottom electrically conducting wire structure; an organic molecular layer disposed on the bottom wire structure in a device region and comprising a bi-stable molecular species; and a passivation structure disposed on the organic molecular layer and being electrically conducting in a region over the device region and being electrically insulating in regions surrounding the device region, wherein the electrically conducting region and the electrically conducting region are formed from a common material structure and one of the electrically insulating region and the electrically conducting region corresponds to a converted region of the common material structure.
9. The molecular memory system of claim 8 , wherein the electrically insulating region of the passivation structure has an antifuse structure and the electrically conducting region of the passivation structure has a blown antifuse structure.
10. The molecular memory system of claim 8 , further comprising a patterned top electrically conducting wire layer disposed on the passivation structure in a region over the device region.
11. The molecular memory system of claim 8 , wherein the molecular layer comprises switch molecules.
12. The molecular electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the molecular layer comprises rotaxane molecules.
13. The molecular electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the molecular layer has a thickness of about 0.5 run to about 10 nm.
14. The molecular electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the molecular layer has a surface coverage of 0.1-100 nm 2 /molecule.
15. The molecular memory system of claim 11 , wherein the molecular layer comprises rotaxane molecules.
16. The molecular memory system of claim 15 , wherein the molecular layer has a thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 10 nm.
17. The molecular memory system of claim 16 , wherein the molecular layer has a surface coverage of 0.1-100 nm 2 /molecule.
18. A molecular electronic device, comprising: an inorganic electrically conducting bottom layer; a molecular layer disposed over the bottom layer in a device region; and a passivation layer disposed over the molecular layer and having an electrically conducting region over the device region and an electrically insulating region surrounding the electrically conducting region, wherein the electrically conducting region is formed of an electrically conducting material and the electrically insulating region corresponds to an oxidized region of the electrically conducting material.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 22, 2001
March 16, 2004
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